Shannon Macmillan

8. SHANNON MACMILLAN Forward AGE: 24. HT/WT: 5-5, 130. HOMETOWN: Escondido, Calif. COLLEGE: Portland. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: A member of the gold-medal teams at the 1996 Olympics and 1998 Goodwill Games. ... Led the Olympic Team with three goals in five matches, including the winners against Sweden and Norway. Her "Golden Goal" against Norway put the U.S. into the Olympic final and avenged the loss at the 1995 World Cup. ... Won the 1995 Hermann Award as college soccer's top player. COMMENT: A strong dribbler who possesses one of the hardest shots on the team.

By Philip Hersh Chicago Tribune and Information from The Association Press supplemented this report, September 30, 2003

Shannon MacMillan knew immediately how bad a knee injury she had suffered six minutes into a WUSA match for the San Diego Spirit on May 18. It was the most pain MacMillan ever had felt, and she suspected it could end her career. Nearly everyone else was sure it would at least knock her out of the Women's World Cup. But she called U.S. coach April Heinrichs a couple of days after the injury and said, "Don't count me out." MacMillan was determined to make the 20-player World Cup roster.

Coach Tony DiCicco claimed it was "a brilliant coaching move," but he laughed when he said it just so everyone knew for sure he was joking. DiCicco was referring to the substitution he made about six minutes into overtime of the U.S. womens' soccer team's Olympic semifinal against Norway on Sunday. Starter Tiffeny Milbrett was replaced by Shannon MacMillan. It was a tactic not based on genius, but one that worked. MacMillan, touching the ball for only the second time, gathered in a perfect lead pass from Julie Foudy and and beat goalkeeper Bente Nordby with a shot just inside the left corner of the goal as the Americans escaped with a 2-1 victory before a Sanford Stadium crowd of 64,196, the biggest ever to watch a women's sporting event in the U.S. The victory avenged a loss to Norway in a semifinal of the World Championships last year.

TIME: 4:30 p.m., at Palo Alto, Calif. TV: COMMENT: Brazil, the fast-tracking up-and-comer of women's international soccer, has shown it can pour in the goals as quickly as Ronaldo and Co., but the Brazilian women can't hold a lead to save their surnames. In their last two matches, the Brazilians have yielded half a dozen goals -- three apiece to Germany and Nigeria -- and, somehow, are still around to hold news conferences to talk about it. What happened to the United States' purported invincibility?

TIME: 4:30 p.m., at Palo Alto, Calif. TV: COMMENT: Brazil, the fast-tracking up-and-comer of women's international soccer, has shown it can pour in the goals as quickly as Ronaldo and Co., but the Brazilian women can't hold a lead to save their surnames. In their last two matches, the Brazilians have yielded half a dozen goals -- three apiece to Germany and Nigeria -- and, somehow, are still around to hold news conferences to talk about it. What happened to the United States' purported invincibility?

The ball rocketed off Shannon MacMillan's right foot from 19 yards out as it always does, sharply and with biting movement, diving nastily and finally short-hopping into the North Korean goal on Sunday night. There was only the smallest available room between Kye Yong Sun and the left post, but goalkeepers, unlike catchers, have no such thing as bigger mitts to handle a knuckleball. Kye did what she could, but she grabbed only a fistful of air with a flailing dive. At the other end of the field, Briana Scurry felt elation for her team and sympathy for a fellow goalie.

By Philip Hersh Chicago Tribune and Information from The Association Press supplemented this report, September 30, 2003

Shannon MacMillan knew immediately how bad a knee injury she had suffered six minutes into a WUSA match for the San Diego Spirit on May 18. It was the most pain MacMillan ever had felt, and she suspected it could end her career. Nearly everyone else was sure it would at least knock her out of the Women's World Cup. But she called U.S. coach April Heinrichs a couple of days after the injury and said, "Don't count me out." MacMillan was determined to make the 20-player World Cup roster.

The U.S. women's soccer team is breaking up and the players are heading their separate ways - eventually. The team that has been hailed as one of the best in U.S. history is two games from disbanding. "We just went out and played soccer," said defender Brandi Chastain. "Things will be different in the future. Money and endorsements have a way of changing players." Some players plan to head overseas after the Olympics, while others are just looking for some rest and relaxation. "A lot of them are looking forward to not training," U.S. press officer Tom Lang said.

What do soccer star Shannon MacMillan, WNBA player Rebecca Lobo and Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair have in common? All three were Girl Scouts. And now they are members of GirlSports 2000, a team of top female athletes who have been recruited by Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. to serve as role models for young women and speak around the country. Ten years ago, young girls had Michael Jordan and Greg Louganis as role models. Today they have Lobo and swimmer Jenny Thompson. Commitment. Focus.

The ball rocketed off Shannon MacMillan's right foot from 19 yards out as it always does, sharply and with biting movement, diving nastily and finally short-hopping into the North Korean goal on Sunday night. There was only the smallest available room between Kye Yong Sun and the left post, but goalkeepers, unlike catchers, have no such thing as bigger mitts to handle a knuckleball. Kye did what she could, but she grabbed only a fistful of air with a flailing dive. At the other end of the field, Briana Scurry felt elation for her team and sympathy for a fellow goalie.

8. SHANNON MACMILLAN Forward AGE: 24. HT/WT: 5-5, 130. HOMETOWN: Escondido, Calif. COLLEGE: Portland. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: A member of the gold-medal teams at the 1996 Olympics and 1998 Goodwill Games. ... Led the Olympic Team with three goals in five matches, including the winners against Sweden and Norway. Her "Golden Goal" against Norway put the U.S. into the Olympic final and avenged the loss at the 1995 World Cup. ... Won the 1995 Hermann Award as college soccer's top player. COMMENT: A strong dribbler who possesses one of the hardest shots on the team.

Coach Tony DiCicco claimed it was "a brilliant coaching move," but he laughed when he said it just so everyone knew for sure he was joking. DiCicco was referring to the substitution he made about six minutes into overtime of the U.S. womens' soccer team's Olympic semifinal against Norway on Sunday. Starter Tiffeny Milbrett was replaced by Shannon MacMillan. It was a tactic not based on genius, but one that worked. MacMillan, touching the ball for only the second time, gathered in a perfect lead pass from Julie Foudy and and beat goalkeeper Bente Nordby with a shot just inside the left corner of the goal as the Americans escaped with a 2-1 victory before a Sanford Stadium crowd of 64,196, the biggest ever to watch a women's sporting event in the U.S. The victory avenged a loss to Norway in a semifinal of the World Championships last year.

It is apparent after the opening weekend that the Women's World Cup will be something more than a three-week coronation for the United States, which must now face a Nigerian team that has Patience and Mercy in its lineup but not in its temperament. The crowds were record-breaking, and the talent was impressively deep and widespread in four weekend doubleheaders. The US.-Denmark match drew 78,972 at Giants Stadium, the largest audience for a women's sporting event in the United States. A doubleheader in San Jose, Calif.